XMen: Hell on Earth
by The Sangheili Mutant
Summary: Set after X-Men The Last Stand... The lives of all mutants are in peril when one of Stryker's loyal followers creates an army of creatures that are quick, efficient, and deadly.
1. Chapter 1: Not a Nursery School

Chapter One: Not a Nursery School

(Multiple Man)

"Okay, I give up." He said as the last copy melted into him. He couldn't help but smile as handcuffs were slapped on his wrists.

_'Oh, if they only knew what was heading towards Alcatraz_.' He thought. He was shoved into a van, where he was told of his fate: a high security mutant prison.

"Good, because that mobile prison of yours didn't exactly pan out." he said. The comment earned him a broken nose.

_'Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut_?' he wondered.

No one moved to help stop the blood gushing from his nose on the way to the prison. Why should they? Eventually, the bleeding stopped on its own, and Multiple Man was left to scrape and wipe dried and still moist blood off his face (which was more than he could say about his nervousness.) He tried to calm himself down, but only found himself panicking at every journey in his prison. He wasn't going to some fucking nursery-school prison. He was going to a hard core, maximum security mutant jail where you were treated like freaks, and the food was only tolerable after a week of self-induced starvation; a bitter refusal to eat the mush they served.

Once the van pulled into the back parking lot, Multiple Man felt his heart skip a beat, and his skin crawl. This place was nothing close to how he had imagined it. It was worse…so much worse.


	2. Chapter 2: Hugh

Sorry this chapter is so short. I promise they'll get longer!

Chapter 2: Hugh

(Hugh)

All his life, there were two constant things that he hated: mutants, and his name. Hugh Jerection. Jeezus! Were his parents drunk, or stoned or both when they named him? Were they thinking 'Oh, Hugh Jerection that sounds like 'huge erection'. Let's name him Hugh.' His name was the laughing stock of every school he went to. However, there was one man who shared his fierce hatred of mutants. That man was Colonel William Stryker.

This man took Hugh under his wing, taught him everything he knew about mutants and weapons that could be used against them. Some weapons failed, such as Weapon X, while others succeeded, such as the brainwashing serum. Hugh obeyed Stryker's every command, participating in the raid of the mutant school in Westchester, assisting in live experimentation on captive mutants, even helping build Dark Cerebro. Even years later, Hugh still remained loyal to his dead mentor.

"_Remember this, Hugh," Stryker said to his protégé. _

_"You can still do great, magnificent things. You can still continue my work." Those were the last words Hugh heard from his mentor, who was chained up against a wall. Hugh futilely tried to save his boss, but was forced to flee as the dam ruptured._ He still couldn't believe he was able to make it out of there alive.

"It's been almost a year and a half now, but I can finally avenge your death and bring an end to this mutant disease, Stryker." Hugh muttered as his first successful creation twitched to life.


	3. Chapter 3: New Lives

Chapter 3: New Lives

(Pyro)

"_You never should have left."_

He awoke with a start, heart racing, covered in sweat. Pyro rolled out of his not-so-comfortable bed, just a mattress on the floor, and slipped on a pair of sweatpants over his boxers. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. This is what his life had come to after Alcatraz: living in an old, musty-smelling, cobweb riddled shack. But he wasn't alone; Pyro saw the sleeping figures of Juggernaut and Mystique in their separate "beds". He could still remember the day Mystique came to him with her newly restored abilities.

"_Pyro!" a voice called from behind. He instantly recognized the distinct voice and turned, eyes lighting up at the sight of her._

"_How are you-"_

"_Back?" she interrupted, giving a light laugh. _"_The cure wasn't exactly permanent. I've been in contact with Magneto." she continued._

"_Magneto?" he repeated, his smile vanishing._ "_Next time you see him, you can tell him that I say 'go to hell'." he said, storming off._

(Colossus/Siryn)

They started going out a couple months after the Professor's death. The others at the school could see the two as a couple ever since Colossus saved Siryn the day the soldiers raided the school, but it took much longer for either of them to work up the courage to ask each other out. All of Siryn's friends were jealous, and with good reason. However, some of the students were, let's just say "concerned for Pete's well-being" by constantly reminding him about her sonic screech.

"Boy, when you two do it, you better hope she isn't a screamer."

Oh, the immaturity.

Pete ignored the remarks and continued dating Siryn. Bobby and Rogue were proud of the new couple, seeing them as one of the cutest in the school.

One night, Colossus and Siryn were enjoying a late night snack, along with some cuddling time.

"If Miss Munroe catches us, she'll have our asses." Siryn said.

"Relax. Bobby and Rogue do this all the time." Colossus replied.

"Only because she's really close to Professor Logan, and he'll always let them slide." she said.

Almost as if she jinxed them, they saw Storm and Wolverine run past the kitchen. Curious, the young lovebirds followed and were dumbfounded at who the two teachers were dragging in.

"Professor Summers." Siryn said, her voice barely audible she was in so much shock.

None of them noticed the wounded teacher's companion in the doorway.


	4. Chapter 4: New Brotherhood

Chapter 4: New Brotherhood

(Magneto)

"It's good to see you again, Eric." she said. He looked up from his chessboard, took in her mutant appearance, and magnetically knocked down his king.

"Check mate, old friend." he muttered, picturing Charles Xavier's sacrificial, albeit damned daring final moments.

"I see you have regained your true nature as well, Mystique." he said.

"They should've known a drug couldn't hold us back." she replied. The elderly mutant stood and delicately placed the shifter's hands in his.

"Do you know of Pyro's whereabouts?" he asked, noticing the smile forming on her face.

"I've been keeping an eye on him. He's faring well given his situation; no home, no family…" she trailed off, smile barely noticeable now. He waited for her to compose herself.

"Juggernaut is with him. They seemed to have stayed together after the whole Alcatraz thing…it was all over the news." she added quickly at the end.

"Ah, yes. That wasn't a 'failure', a 'fiasco', as the media so bluntly termed it. Yes, yes. Worthington Labs is gone thanks to Jean. And I'm sure Juggernaut was able to kill the boy." Magneto said.

"We should get the old gang back together." Mystique said.

"Yes, we should." he agreed.

"We'll meet back at the old cabin. I'll get Pyro and Juggernaut. Then we'll see who else we can round up." she said. He nodded and Mystique left.

He waited for her at the cabin, completely oblivious to the argument that was about to erupt between the two. He could immediately tell something was wrong when he saw she was coming alone. No Pyro, no Juggernaut. He then noticed the hateful glare in her eyes, something that pained him to see coming from her.

"Mystique?" he asked, slightly nervous.

"I found Pyro. He wasn't very willing to come with me, which I couldn't understand considering how close we were before Worthington Labs. So I asked him why, and he told me things I wish I never heard." she said.

_'Oh god, it wore off_.' he thought, mentally cursing himself.

"He said you forced him into the Brotherhood._ Drugged_ him! Tell me that's not true." she spat. His silence answered for her.

"No…How could you do that to him? He's just a kid! Do you know who you acted like? You were just like the man who nearly succeeded in wiping us out: Stryker. You're no better than he was." She said. The last sentence stung him as she stormed off.

_'Time for a new Brotherhood_.' he thought.

He decided to find any mutants that survived Alcatraz; Callisto, Arclight, as well as recruit some fresh meat. This time, he would not use the serum he stole from Stryker's lab, even if he only used it on Pyro. He hoped this act would persuade Mystique, Pyro, and Juggernaut back. They were all very powerful and would be valuable in his ever-present plan for mutant superiority. Magneto figured the best place to recruit would be in a mutant prison. After rescuing the scared and angry mutants, they would be very willing, almost like a sense of greed, to join him. He might even find some Alcatraz survivors_ in_ the prisons.


	5. Chapter 5: Familiar Faces

Chapter 5: Familiar faces

(Multiple Man)

The strange gold-eyed, gold-haired mutant helped Multiple Man throughout the first couple weeks of prison. The two were cell-mates and the veteran told the recruit about the, as he called it, "gears" of the prison. Stuff like: what meals to avoid, the 'generous hospitality' of the guards, and the risks of trying to remove the power-suppressing collars.

After two months of being in the same cell with the same person, Multiple Man got to know his cell-mate pretty well. The guy had been in prison for a little over a year, and he was electrokinetic. He also swore the guy's mouth had a mouth.

One unparticular day, while the two were eating their lunch, an alarm went off. The two bolted to the cell gate, trying to see the commotion. Multiple Man was in front, and able to see more of the hall.

"What do you see?" Sparky asked.

"Shh." Multiple Man whispered harshly, craning his neck. He heard yelling, and gunfire, both of which ceased very quickly.

"What the hell is going on out there?" a mutant a few cells down yelled. The gate of Multiple Man's and Sparky's cell suddenly ripped away, nearly simultaneous with the other cells.

"Woah!" Sparky yelled. Multiple Man couldn't tell if he detected fear or excitement in the electrokinetic's voice. The duplicator tentatively stepped into the hall, completely shocked to see a familiar face: his old boss, standing in front of the bullet-riddled bodies.

"Magneto?" he asked, unable to believe it. Soon the other prisoners were in the hall, too. Magneto rose a hand and the collars around their necks snapped like twigs.

"As I'm sure you all know, my brothers, the humans developed a supposed cure a couple months ago. It failed, yes, but next time it may not. Not only did they try to cure us, they imprisoned us, tormented us. I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say we should finally prove to the humans that we are not going anywhere." Magneto announced.

_'This is like de ja vu_.' Multiple Man thought. He stepped forward.

"You know I'm in." he said.

"Me too." Sparky said.

One by one, the other inmates swore their allegiance to Magneto.

(Wolverine)

_Simulation over._

The Wolverine retracted his claws as the scenario around him faded. He left the Danger Room and headed up to the kitchen to have a beer. Storm finally allowed him to have beer in the school as long as he kept it hidden, and out of the students' reach. He never got his beer, however, because he saw a familiar face stagger into the hall from the front entrance. A face he thought was dead.

"Holy…Storm! Storm, I need your help!" he yelled, catching the burned and bleeding Cyclops as he collapsed. Storm was next to him in seconds.

"Oh my god. What-"

"I don't know."

"Did he say anything?" she asked, opening the elevator doors.

"No." he answered. They went to the underground levels and entered the med lab.


	6. Chapter 6: Monitors: the successful ones

**A/N**: Sorry for the long wait, but I promise, this chapter won't disappoint. It's my longest one by far!

Chapter 6: Monitors: the successful experiments

(Hugh)

"Mr. Jerection," Trask started.

"Please, call me Hugh." Hugh politely interrupted while checking the vitals of his tenth successful soldier.

"Hugh. These mutant-sentinel hybrids…they're stronger than both, correct?" Trask asked.

"Yes. They'll all be equipped with my special arsenal, along with their original flight and mutant sensing abilities. And as an added bonus, they have enhanced speed, aim, and durability, as well as being able to use their mutant half's ability." Hugh explained.

"Your 'special arsenal'? What, pray tell, is that?" Trask asked.

"Temporary sixty second cure darts, missiles, stun gun, flamethrowers, and full-spectrum vision for those pesky invisibility and camouflage mutants." Hugh stated with a slight chuckle at the end.

"And these hybrids will be efficient?" Trask asked while the fourteenth creation's vitals were green-lit.

"Call them Monitors. And yes, they are superior to your original sentinels, and they can easily overpower most class 2 and 3 mutants." Hugh explained as more specimens proved sufficient for combat.

"Well, I must say, funding your research has not been a mistake, Hugh." Trask said as they stood before their now very large army of Monitors.

"I say it's time to test their abilities." Hugh said, motioning to a sliding door. As it opened, several mutants were ushered into the Monitors' holding area. Hugh and Trask safely watched from an observation booth.

(Cyclops) – (I felt this chapter would feel best if it was in first person. Sorry for the change in tense.)

As we were lead out of our cells, we all anxiously conversed about what could lie beyond the doors. I tried to keep my leader persona in check, but I guess I couldn't be blamed for panicking. As the doors slid open, we were lead into a dimly lit room, and I felt my heart rise into my throat.

There were these…I guess the correct term would be 'android mutants'. Well, maybe some of them were human, but knowing the kind of sick people that were running this place, they were definitely mutants…not that they looked mutant-y at all anymore. Whatever they were, there were dozens of them! The crackle of a loud speaker echoed through the room, and _his_ voice was heard: "Go ahead, mutants. Flee…"

A door to the outside world was opened, and everyone bolted. Even though we knew this was some sort of trap, even though we knew we had a snowball's chance in hell of getting away, we ran. Some of us stayed together, others splintered off in their own directions. None of us knew where exactly we were running_ to_, but we couldn't stop, not for a second. I risked a glance behind me and saw the creatures file out of the building and take flight.

"Oh my god." I said aloud. I focused my visor and fired at one of them, a smile pulled at my lips as its stomach was replaced by a smoldering, black-rimmed hole. It fell backwards into the snow covered ground and twitched for a couple seconds, then stopped moving…"died" I guess would be a more conclusive, albeit inconclusive term since I had no way of knowing if it was actually dead or not.

A handful of the other mutants saw my attack and followed suit. But as we continued our onslaught, the creatures started theirs. We were decimated by their arsenal and had to retreat. I hid behind a large pine tree and was joined by Craig, an animal shifter whose cell was across from mine at the lab.

"What the hell are those things?" Craig asked me, as if expecting me to know the answer.

Some twisted experiment." I replied breathlessly, trying to slow down the hammering of my heart.

"We have to get out of here!" he exclaimed, his green eyes growing in sync with his fear.

"We don't even know where 'here' is." I said. A missile passed our tree by a mere twelve inches and collided with a boulder, smashing it to pieces. Craig instinctively covered his head and turned away, looking up at me once the rain of dirt and rock subsided.

"We have to get out of here!" he repeated. A couple trees behind us lit up in flames, and I made a split-second decision. I aimed at one of the robot mutants, blew off its head, grabbed Craig, and took off. We weaved between the trees, letting adrenaline take me wherever it pleased.

(Craig) – (back to third person)

He hadn't the slightest idea where Scott was taking him, and didn't care. Anywhere was better than the hell-hole behind them. The two of them ran until they were both panting and in dire need of rest.

"Part of me is wishing this is just a simulation." Scott said.

"What?" Craig panted.

"A simulated scenario. I'm a teacher at a mutant school, maybe you've heard of it: Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters?" Scott asked. Craig shook his head.

"Oh. Well, anyways, I built a simulation room called the Danger Room where we can practice our abilities by ourselves, or strengthen our team work skills. So, if this was just a very bizarre Danger Room session, I could just end it." Scott explained. They both turned around as they heard a scream, which was abruptly cut off. A large energy ball flew out of the forest. Craig morphed into a white stallion, hoping Scott would get the message. To his relief, Scott climbed onto his back and he took off, much faster than they were on foot, even with the adrenaline's aid. As Craig ran, Scott fired at any incoming android mutants. He soon carried Scott to a dirt road, which was cleared of snow, meaning people lived nearby.

"Nice work, Craig." Scott said.

They soon arrived at a small shack, where a tiny gray-haired lady greeted them.

"You must be Cyclops." she said. Cyclops climbed off Craig, who then morphed back to his normal appearance.

"My husband knew you'd be arriving." The old woman said, giving them a toothless grin.

"Come inside. It's snug as a bug in a rug." she said, entering the shack. The two mutants glanced at each other, then entered the welcoming warmth of the establishment.

"Jonathan! Our guests have arrived!" the elderly woman called out. An equally tiny, equally aged man stepped into the room, aided by a cane.

"I've prepared some tea for you two. Please, sit." The toothless woman said.

"We're very grateful, ma'am." Craig said.

"Please, call me Evelyn." She said. Jonathan joined them at the table, studying the two with weary eyes.

"How did you guys know we were coming?" Craig asked.

"We're like you boys. We have gifts." Evelyn said, setting two steaming cups of Earl Gray tea on the table. They drank slowly, and soon the couple had their own tea.

"You lads are running from the Monitors." Jonathan said.

"Monitors?" Scott repeated.

"Yes. They're a brand new threat, and we've never seen or heard of anything like 'em. You need to warn your friends at the school." Jonathan said.

"My friends? How do you know about them?" Scott asked.

"Jonathan is omniscient and precognitive. He knows all, and can see into the future. About a week ago, he had a horrible vision. These creatures, called the Monitors, are very much capable of wiping out mutant kind." Evelyn said.

"I can't foretell everything that I see, but I saw you, Craig, and you, Scott, in the forest, then at this very table. Then I saw a large building, the school. Then, just darkness. I could smell and taste the blood, sense their fear. Perhaps Evelyn can send you there before it is too late." Jonathan said.

Cyclops immediately stood. "Let's go."

Evelyn nodded and raised her hands, palms facing them. In a single second, the door was vaporized, and a Monitor entered the room, filling the place with fire. One second Craig saw Scott's arm catch fire, the next they were in front of the school Jonathan and Scott mentioned before.

"Woah." Craig said, the only word that could escape his lips. He turned to Scott, seeing that the flames on his arm were gone, but his skin was bright red, blistered, and bleeding. The man must've been in immense pain, but did a superb job of hiding it.

"Come on." Craig said. Scott led the way inside, but collapsed into another man's arms. Craig hid and watched as a woman arrived, the two of them taking Scott away.


	7. Chapter 7: Learning

Chapter 7: Learning

(Rogue)

_She regained her ability only a month after receiving the cure. She didn't harm anyone; she could just feel a change occur throughout her body. The day it happened, she immediately recognized the feeling and pulled away from Bobby, who was leaning in for a kiss._

"_Come on, Rogue. Are we trying some new kind of fore-" his mouth stopped working once he saw her put on her gloves and slip a long sleeved shirt over her tank top._

"_I don't know how to explain it, Bobby. It's back…the cure wore off." she said, close to tears. Bobby got up and placed one of her gloved hands in his._

"_This doesn't change anything." He said._

"_Yes it does-"_

"_No. No, it doesn't. I love you, Rogue, and nothing can make me stop loving you." he said, wiping a tear off her cheek without feeling the harmful effects._

That was about two months ago. Since then, Rogue had gone through a minor bout of depression, but some therapeutic sessions with Bobby, Wolverine, Storm, and Mr. McCoy cleared that up. Rogue seemed to glow throughout the first week of her being able to control her ability to some degree. Her rekindled relationship with Bobby flourished since she no longer feared she would put him in a coma. Their relationship continued the way it used to without fear.

Life seemed to be back to normal for her. Almost. She still couldn't get anything out of Bobby about what happened between him and John on Alcatraz. Wolverine claimed he didn't see the show down when she asked him, as did Storm. No one had heard from the pyromaniac since that night several months ago, and all Rogue wanted was to know that her friend was still alive.

The day Mr. Summers was found, she immediately went to the medical center, along with Bobby, Kitty, and the other members of the X-Men. She could see Mr. McCoy tending to Cyclops in an isolated area reserved for intensive care. As soon as she spotted this, the younger members, herself, Bobby, Kiyty, Pete, started rambling questions and comments.

"What happened?"

"Is he alive?"

"What's wrong with him?"

"I thought he was dead!"

"…What if it was John?"

Rogue had asked the last question, and she felt very uneasy as the others turned to stare at her, falling silent.

"Why would John do that to Professor Summers?" Kitty asked.

"He wouldn't. It wasn't Pyro." Wolverine said.

"How could you know that?" Bobby asked.

"Because _he's_ been with Scott all this time, and was an eye witness to this whole burning incident." Wolverine replied, a little harshly, and thumbed behind him. A boy of maybe 16 years was standing near a table, away from the commotion.

"Craig…" Storm said, nodding approvingly.

"Okay. Uh, well, as you all know, this John guy didn't do…that…to Scott. It was a, um…" Craig awkwardly shuffled from left foot to right, right foot to left.

"They're called the Monitors," Craig continued, staring at his feet. "They're these experiments. Mutant-robot hybrids created by the jerk-wads that captured us." He said, blushing slightly from all the attention aimed at him.

Everyone took the news in at their own pace.

"Experimental mutant-killing machines?" Bobby repeated for like the fifth time.

"Yes!" Craig repeated loudly, and then looked away, as if ashamed for his outburst.

"So, these Monitors, do they have any weaknesses?" Wolverine asked.

"I don't know, but Scott was able to take a lot of them down." Craig replied. Rogue watched Storm as she entered the intensive care room, since McCoy cleared Scott to be lucid and coherent enough for questioning. Everyone sat in silence, letting the cold, hard reality sink in until Storm returned, saying that Scott knew just as much as Craig had already revealed.

"Listen, we've learned as much as we could tonight. We're all exhausted, so let's call it a night and get some sleep. I'll show Craig his room." Storm said. The suddenly drowsy students trudged back to their rooms. Rogue kissed her boyfriend goodnight, and after changing into her pajamas, she fell asleep, completely oblivious to the perilous, haphazard days to come.


	8. Chapter 8: New Shit World

Chapter 8: New Shit World

(Toad and Sabretooth) (*this is the Tyler Mane version of Sabretooth, from the first X-Men film)

He could feel them gaining on him, hear them getting closer. He enviously spotted his comrade far ahead of him, and getting farther away with each inhuman, amphibious leap. He heard a large explosion behind him and tried his best to ignore it. Up ahead, Toad was bounding atop garbage cans, cars, asphalt. Sabretooth never liked Toad much, but after Magneto's Liberty Island fiasco, he found himself very protective of the ugly, puke-green mutant. After all, he did save the little guy's life. So when he saw one of those _things _materialize in front of Toad, aim some sort of wrist weapon, and fire, all in the time frame of a mere 2 seconds and some stray milliseconds, Sabretooth was filled with anger, pain, and angst as he ran as fast as he could to his friend's side. Before the culprit could escape, it exploded in a large ball of fire.

He could see Toad convulsing, and by the time he reached his companion, he was stunned to see that Toad was now human, lying on the road, occasionally twitching whilst unconscious. Sabretooth couldn't help but feel pity, and knew he had to get him to safety. He slung Toad over his shoulder and saw two people working their way towards him: one that threw fireballs, while the other was flipping between incoming projectiles with incredible flexibility. Sabretooth met them halfway and followed them into an alley, quickly getting used to the deafening barrages. He realized he knew one of the mutants he was following as they entered a side door to what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse.

"Mystique." he uttered as she shut the door.

"Nice to see you too." she replied. He set Toad on the floor as gently as he could, and the young man Mystique arrived with looked him over, checking for any serious wounds.

"He was shot with some sort of needle." Sabretooth said, remembering the object he pulled from Toad's neck.

"Cure. Temporary." the man said.

"Toad will be fine. He should wake-" A large croak filled the room as Toad bolted upright, morphing back to his amphibious nature. The younger man continued to look over Toad, who flinched away.

"Get off me!" he said, struggling to pry free from the man's grasp.

"Let him go, Pyro." Mystique said. The man obeyed, and Toad backed away, towards Sabretooth, but stopped once he saw Mystique. He looked back at Sabretooth, then to Mystique, then Sabretooth again.

"What is going on?" he asked, clearly, and understandably confused.

"They saved us." Sabretooth said simply.

"What did that thing shoot at me?" Toad asked.

"A needle containing a temporary mutation cancelling drug." Pyro stated matter-of-factly, standing up.

"And those _things_ are like nothing we've ever encountered. A rather rich investor, whose wife I had to imitate to gather intel, had one as a type of personal security. He called it a Monitor." Mystique said.

"Welcome to this new shit world." Pyro said, his voice conveying hardly any emotion.


	9. Chapter 9: Money isn't Everything

Chapter 9: Money isn't everything

(Trask)

That man, Hugh, was nuts, possibly insane; Trask knew it. But once he saw what that man was capable of, creating the Monitors, new and improved Sentinels, he beheld the man as a messiah. The man's genius and capabilities more than spoke for themselves, more than paid off. Speaking of pay, the number of anti-mutant supporters that were wealthy enough to pay for Monitor security, also funded Hugh, sending over copious amounts of cash.

As Hugh and Trask worked on making additions to the already vast army, they became friends, telling each other their own personal reasons for hating mutant kind. Trask learned many new things about his newfound friends.

"I was one of the soldiers in Stryker's raid of that mutant school in Westchester. I hadn't encountered many mutants beforehand, so I had no idea what to expect." Stryker said. Trask placed a large sum of 'funding money' on a table.

"I heard about that raid." Trask said.

Hugh took the money and put it into his safe, one of those bank vault types, located in a room that had 3 security cameras installed; one watching the inside of the vault, one in a far corner to see the entire room, and one near the doorway, looking down the hall.

"Trask, don't get me wrong, I rather enjoy getting paid by people who hate mutants, but money isn't everything. People may think it is in this economy, but there are forces far more valuable and sacred than monetary value and greed." Hugh said.

"…Such as?" Trask asked, curious, yet uneasy.

"Vengeance, love, sorrow, the driving forces of humanity: emotions." Hugh explained.

"Vengeance! Exactly! That's what this project is for, not money, Hugh. Just think of the money as a security deposit for the Monitors you give away." Trask said.

"Give away_? I'm not giving them away, Trask_!"

"Of course. Sorry, slip of the tongue." Trask quickly corrected himself, once again wondering if the man was bipolar or something short of mentally instable. Hugh smiled, saying that apologizing wasn't necessary.

The two of them arrived back at the 'experimentation room', and prepped more Monitors for combat. The process, to Trask, was like a simple formula. The influx of captured mutants directly resulted in the rise in number of Monitors. To Hugh, however, the process was both like a birth, and a death. Birth to Monitors, death to mutants. A buzzer sounded as a large door opened, and Monitors returned from a job. Hugh counted how many of them returned with a stunned, temporarily cured, or heavily beaten mutant.

_'5 more. How nice_.' Hugh thought. Thanks to Stryker's files, he recognized one of the new lab rats. James Madrox, also known as Multiple Man.


	10. Chapter 10: Relocating

A/N: For those of you who forgot, flashbacks are in italics…and I swear, the story does get better

Chapter 10: Relocating

(Juggernaut)

_The last thing Cain Marko, the Juggernaut, remembered was feeling rage as that ungrateful X-Men girl called him a dickhead. Next thing he knew, he was covered in concrete and dust. He rolled out from underneath the rubble and stood, surveying the destruction around him. Portions of the building were dissolving before his eyes! Soldiers and mutants alike were suffering the same fate, or fleeing in terror. He even noticed the de-facto leader of the Brotherhood flee amongst the humans. After his brain registered everything, he too went to leave. He spotted Quill, Arclight, and Psylocke running away and watched in horror as they exploded into dust. Water was literally floating in midair, and he saw one of the X-Men plunge his knife-laden fist into the Phoenix, the source of all this chaos. As the life left her body, her killer cried out in sorrow, and anything that was floating returned to the ground, influenced by gravity again. As much as he wanted to fight the lone X-Man, especially the one he seemed to have quickly formed a rivalry with, he also wanted to avoid any unnecessary conflict. He decided to just leave, relocate. After all, there was no Brotherhood anymore. _

_He walked away from the crying mutant and spotted a body in the distance. As he got closer, he spotted the blonde hair and instantly knew it was the fire-thrower, Pyro. He looked on in pain as he saw the numerous wounds: contusions, abrasions, something that looked identical to frostbite, and not to forget, the large slab of concrete covering the lower half of his body. He lifted the slab with ease and tossed it aside, making a loud crashing sound. The noise attracted the attention of the X-Man, but also awakened Pyro._

_The mutant he used to know as a cocky hothead awoke as a pained, confused boy. Pyro barely seemed to notice Juggernaut as he tried to get up, only to cry out in pain and collapse back to the ground. It was at that moment Juggernaut noticed how pale Pyro looked, and spotted a deep slice in his calf._

"_I'm gonna get you out of here." he said, and was ready to pick up the younger mutant, but the X-Man arrived, stopping him._

"_Let me take him." The X-Man said._

"_Back off, Badger. He's not yours." Juggernaut said. Before he could move, the X-Man had his hand around the Juggernaut's throat, claws extending slowly._

"_It's Wolverine, bub. And that kid may be a traitor to his friends, but he's still one of us." Wolverine said._

"_Really? He left you guys because he wanted to be one of you so bad?" Juggernaut laughed and pushed Wolverine off him, then kicked him into the side of Worthington Labs. Juggernaut returned to Pyro, who had fallen unconscious again, and carried him away._

That was about three weeks ago. For the past three weeks, Juggernaut was able to find an abandoned, isolated shack to hole up in, and basically nurse Pyro back to health. Once the proper supplies and necessities were procured, the nursing part was much easier. The kid resented being treated like, well, a kid, but eventually just put up with it.

As soon as Pyro was able strong enough to be on his own, he left; only to come back 3 days later looking like he went through a barbed wire fence.

"What the hell happened to you?" Juggernaut asked.

"These, uh, robot mutant hunters ambushed me. Managed to kill two of them before I got the fuck outta there. God damn! Whatever those things were, they were like terminators!" Pyro explained.

"Did they follow you here?" Juggernaut asked.

"Hell if I know." was Pyro's reply.

_'Oh terrific_.' Juggernaut thought.

In the weeks following, Pyro stayed with Juggernaut, and brought back three allies: Mystique, Sabretooth, and Toad. The five of them soon became close and protective of each other, like a family. No one went anywhere alone in case of attacks, and if there was an attack, no one gets left behind. Those were the only two rules Pyro and Mystique laid down, and everyone agreed to them. They seemed like the two leader types, and Juggernaut was fine with them being the leaders; he had no idea how to lead, and he assumed Toad and Sabretooth weren't into giving orders. He actually enjoyed the little group, and he was glad he didn't go out…especially with those terminator mutant hunters lurking around. So far, those things didn't come anywhere near the lonely, isolated house.

So far, they were safe.


	11. Chapter 11: Save a life, Lose a life

Chapter 11: Save a life, lose a life

(Moira MacTaggert)

"Moira." a voice spoke. She turned, startled to hear a voice come from the general direction of a comatose man.

"Moira, it's me." the man said, looking rather awake. She couldn't believe it! The voice sounded like…

"Charles?" she asked.

"Yes." he answered.

"Oh my God…" she whispered.

"Moira, listen to me. I can't stay in this body long. My clone, the one we created a couple years back, is it inhabitable?" he asked.

"Yes." she said.

"Okay. Take me to it." he said.

After helping him into a wheelchair, she took him down to the boiler room, approached a hidden entrance, and punched in the appropriate code, consequently opening the entrance to the secret room, and wheeled Charles toward his clone.

She couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as he examined it and approved. He placed his hand on the clone's head, and the ex-comatose patient became comatose again. The clone sat up, then stood, a little shaky, on legs never used. Moira smiled in awe.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"It takes a little getting used to. Thank you for your help, Moira." Charles said.

'We'll see each other soon.' He added telepathically.

She watched him leave the hospital from the comatose patient's room. She watched him until she could no longer see him.

"Where is Charles Xavier?" a stern voice asked.

Moira jumped, startled, at the voice, and turned.

"Excuse me, Mr…"

"Jerection, Hugh."

"Mr. Jerection. You must have the wrong hospital." Moira said, feeling uneasy at the man's glare, digging into her like ice picks.

"I know who you are, Moira MacTaggert. I know you've been in contact with Charles Xavier very recently. Just be a good girl and tell me where he is, and you get to live." he said.

The proposition made her heart drop into her gut.

"I…" she trailed off and cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry, but he's not here." she said, wishing her voice didn't sound so pathetic.

"What a shame. You're such a beautiful woman." The man said, revealing his concealed weapon, fitted with a silencer. She had no time to react as he fired three times into her heart,


	12. Chapter 12: Close calls, and cards

A/N: Spring break is here, so I'll upload chapters faster

Chapter 12: Close calls, and cards

(Angel)

Warren Worthington the third, also known as Angel, became a teacher at the school for gifted youngsters after only a month of living there. He soon after became a member of the X-Men, and quickly overcame his reluctance to "show off" for the students.

After the arrival of the missing Scott Summers and the newcomer Craig, and after their harrowing story about everything that had happened to them, everyone was on edge. Classes were shortened, X-Men members held countless meetings, and a curfew was set for the younger students. In the midst of all this, Warren took it upon himself to keep an extra eye out for danger during any lazy hours of the day; take to the sky. He wasn't set on direct conflict with any of the 'Monitors', he just wanted to be prepared in case any of them decided to show up.

On one of these flights, he spotted a group of the Monitors on the outskirts of Westchester.

_'Oh crap_.' he thought, flying low and hiding behind a building. He chanced a quick glance out behind the building to see if he was spotted, and was greeted with a missile speeding his way. He spread his wings and flew, gaining altitude as the missile exploded upon contact with the building.

He flew off, back to the school.

He looked behind him as he heard a strange whirring noise and, to his shock, saw one of the things flying after him.

_'Double crap_.' he thought. More missiles were fired, and were dodged; none of them losing a beat. He knew it would be dangerous to continue his current course, as he would lead the thing right to the school. He turned 90 degrees to the right and headed to the forest where the Brotherhood used to be based. There, he could easily maneuver between the trees and hopefully lose his foe. He zigzagged, twirled, and twisted through the timberland. His mind was racing with a hundred images of his death when he heard, saw, and felt an explosion behind him. He slowed to a stop and approached the twitching, sparking wreckage. Sticking out of the Monitor's chest was a Queen of Spades card.


	13. Chapter 13: the German and the Cajun

**A/N**: translations for the German phrases will be in parentheses next to the actual phrases

Chapter 13: The German and the Cajun

(Nightcrawler and Gambit)

Kurt Wagner was muttering a prayer in German as Remy LeBeau returned from the bathroom.

"You done, mon ami?" Gambit asked.

"Ja. (yes)" Nightcrawler replied, opening his eyes. Gambit saw the cuts on both Nightcrawler and himself; remnants of last night's fight with the crazy psycho robots. Today, they were going to the mutant school in Westchester that Kurt knew would bring help to the chaos that started only a week ago. Remy grabbed a deck of his trusty cards and his staff, and they ventured to the border of Westchester.

It was as if the robots were waiting, like they knew the two mutants would pass through the outskirts.

Gambit immediately destroyed one with a kinetically charged playing card, grinning as the robot shot off a wayward energy blast that decimated another. He tossed his staff to Nightcrawler, who teleported. One of the robots turned around and flew. His first thought was that it was retreating, but he soon noticed it was chasing a mutant with large bird-like wings. Carefully observing the trajectory, he charged up a card and threw it, delighted as the robot plummeted to the earth.

He looked over to Nightcrawler, who dispatched the last foe with the staff. The two observed the damage and the bird-winged mutant gracefully fluttered down.

"You saved me." the mutant said.

"Dat would be me, but hey, who's keepin track?" Remy replied.

"Excuse me, but do you know how to get to the Professor's School?" Nightcrawler asked.

"Yeah. I live there." the blonde said, taking to the sky, but keeping sure to stay within sight. When they got to the school, they were taken inside, and then taken to the main office. The mocha-skinned woman seemed excited to see Kurt, and the two hugged.

"Who's your friend, Kurt?" she asked.

"Remy LeBeau, at you service." Gambit replied, bowing dramatically.

"Charming." a voice from behind said.

Gambit turned. "Oh, and who is dis?" he asked.

"Call me Rogue." she said.

"I'll call you Chere, Chere." Gambit said, smiling as she smiled.

The winged mutant, Warren, brought several other inhabitants of the school into the office, where the two newcomers were given a short version of the Monitor Tale.

"Das ist unglaublich. (That is unbelievable)" Nightcrawler said.

"You make dem seem like dey invincible, but as Remy recall, we've been killin dem pretty easy." Gambit said.

"Some of us aren't as well-equipped for battle as you are." Warren said.

"Equipped or not, we don't have the man power to go up against an army as big as Scott and Craig described." Kurt's mocha skinned friend said.

"I can't believe I'm gonna suggest this, but maybe we should ask the Brotherhood for help." The one referred to as 'Wolverine' said.

"I'd say that would be a wise choice." A man said, entering the room. The others stared in disbelief.

"Professor Xavier?" one of them asked, mouth gaping.

"Hello, Bobby." The man said.


	14. Chapter 14: Shaky Reunion

A/N: This is one of my longest chapters

Chapter 14: Shaky Reunion

(Sparky)

His life was always a mess, even after he discovered he could create and control electricity. However, once he was rescued by that old mutant, Magneto, he saw a new purpose in his life. The twenty-two year old never respected anyone the way he respected Magneto…Hell, he never respected anyone _ever_. One thing, though, that he did not fully enjoy was the Brotherhood's residence. Sparky never liked shacking up with a roommate, even though he had to quite often in prison. But since he had to have a roommate, he decided to go with the only mutant he really knew: his cellmate, Multiple Man. The bond the two criminals shared was only amplified in freedom, but not in a sexual sense. They were both purely heterosexual; in Sparky's words: "I'm straighter than a straight-edge razor."

Unfortunately, over the weeks, several mutants, including Multiple Man, were gone. Vanished. Taken. Sparky remembered seeing them the night before, but the next morning, 6 or 7 mutants were just gone. No one knew how or why, what or when. It was that day when things went from strange to downright insane.

"Yo! Spar-kee!" the guttural-voiced mutant that Sparky could not name for the life of him called.

"Listen, whatsyourface, its Sparky, not Spahr-Key or whatever the fuck ya just said. Got it?" Sparky spat, not only annoyed at the _guy_, but annoyed with _everything_ it seemed.

"Name's Rumble. Listen, uh, Boss is calling a meeting. Probably about them missing fellas." the guttural-voiced mutant said, scratching his ass nonchalantly.

"Right. Okay, lend me your ear for a sec, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once and I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. You keep up your butt scratcharoo here and people are gonna start calling you some filth related nickname like we were in high school or something. Or, maybe they will just laugh and gossip behind your back. I'm not trying to be mean…just learn something about hygiene, alright?" Sparky said, and promptly walked over to the growing crowd of Brotherhood members.

(Magneto)

He stood atop the balcony-like hill and the crowd shushed and hushed itself. He was vaguely reminded of the Brotherhood meeting about the cure a couple months ago. Part of him wanted Jean, Pyro, Mystique, and the others back, but another part of him, stronger, told the nostalgic part to just shut up. He looked down at the mass of mutants below, fully prepared for his new war fixation.

"Fellow members of the Brotherhood, as you very well know, the humans are once again trying to annihilate us. But as long as there is breath in us, we will _not_ let that happen! We will beat down everything they throw at us. We will not back down until the corporation behind this new threat is justly ended. Only then, my Brothers, can the rest of humanity truly understand what we are capable of!" he bellowed, his voice thundering through the forest. There was a slight pause before the roar of applause and cheers began.

"Let's go after them now!" someone screeched. More cheers followed. Magneto smiled at the eagerness of his Brotherhood, how gun-ho they were. He scanned the crowd proudly, but faltered upon the small group weaving their way towards him.

Pyro and Mystique led the way, with Toad and Sabretooth in the middle, and Juggernaut bringing up the rear. They pushed their way to the front, each of them harboring hateful glares in his direction. The clapping and cheering died out as more became aware of the group in front. Magneto didn't know if he should feel happy or apprehensive upon seeing survivors from his previous two Brotherhoods, regardless if they were stealing his limelight and giving him hateful looks. They all worked together once.

_'Except Pyro_.' his mind nagged. Yes, each of them had their reasons for hating him, but Pyro was the one who was most likely out for blood. He noticed that the wrist igniters were gone, and Pyro was back to his shark Zippo.

"Mystique, what are you all doing up here?" Magneto asked.

"Cut the bullshit, old man." Pyro snapped. Several "oohs" and hushed whispers raced through the crowd.

"I see you've found a new army to do your dirty work. Are you gonna abandon them too when the shit hits the fan?" Juggernaut asked.

"Absolutely not! I stayed in the fight until I saw it was hopeless. You just as easily could've run off, too." Magneto said.

"I didn't. I saved the kid." Juggernaut snapped, nodding to Pyro.

"Well…" Magneto stopped. He couldn't think of a witty comeback…

"The past is the past. Nothing we can do to change it. Now, if you'll just go on your way, the Brotherhood is going to crush this new threat to our existence." Magneto said.

"Not if we have anything to say about it." Toad said in a menacing tone unlike anything Magneto had ever heard being uttered from the mutant's mouth.

(Sparky)

He watched the scene from the back of the crowd. He could see Magneto with ease, looking down upon the band of strangers that he seemed to be acquainted with. Sparky had heard all about Magneto's previous Brotherhood from Multiple Man; how there were only a few survivors from the attack on the Cure facility on Alcatraz. He recognized some of the strangers based on the descriptions Multiple Man gave. He could see Juggernaut, the extremely buff owner of a helmet made of what appeared to be stone. Then there was Pyro, the skinny, yet fit teenager whose hair was a dirty blonde color. As to the identities of the other three, Sparky was clueless. He looked over to the blue skinned mutant, whose naked body seemed to be covered in scales of some kind.

Sparky worked his way through the crowd, trying to get to the group ahead. As he got closer, the conversation became audible.

"-crush this new threat to our existence." Magneto said.

"Not if we have anything to say about it." the puke-green mutant said.

Sparky was now in the front.

"Oh yeah, what if _we_ have something to say 'bout _you_? You guys just come strollin' on in like you're a bunch of messiahs or something and start chatting up our boss, threatening to stop him from saving us all from some bat shit crazy motherfucking mutant hunting machines…all for the sake of what exactly?" Sparky asked.

"You don't know what he's done. He's betrayed every single one of us." Pyro said.

"Lies!" someone in the crowd shouted.

"How the hell could you possibly know? You've known Magneto, what, a day? Two tops? We've known that son of a bitch way longer." Pyro retorted. Sparky formed a softball sized ball of electricity in his palm.

"You should leave now, before I fry you." he said. Pyro snapped open his lighter, forming a ball of fire in his hand.

"What if I fry you first?" Pyro snapped, glaring. Magneto held up a hand, stopping Sparky. Seconds later, one of those bat shit crazy robots crashed to the ground, smashed to bits.

"My Brothers! Prepare for attack!" Magneto yelled.

All tension between the two hotheads was put aside as clusters of robots arrived and attacked. Not wanting to disappoint his leader, Sparky attacked every foe in his path, making them explode when struck with massive bolts of lightning. However, it seemed like no matter how many they killed, more kept coming.

Things started to get crazier when a jet arrived and more mutants came out, fighting against the robots. With the extra eight mutants, the fight abated quickly.

"How did those mutant hunting robots know we were here? And who the hell are you guys?" Sparky asked.

"Eric, we need to talk." a bald mutant said. Sparky would never forget how pale Magneto became.


	15. Chapter 15: Playing Nice

Chapter 15: Playing Nice

(Bobby)

The flight back to the school was not only dead quiet, but awkward. The back of the jet was full of Brotherhood bad guys, Magneto was sitting behind him, talking to the Professor, and Pyro was on board. Bobby couldn't bring himself to look anywhere but the back of Wolverine's head. He was glad Rogue wasn't here, but what was he going to say to her? "Hey, Rogue, you'll never guess who's on their way in here: our old friend that I thought I killed a couple months back." Right. He never should've volunteered to come on this trip, but he knew now that it would've only delayed the reunion between him and John.

"_Pyro_." his mind corrected. "_The John you once knew died when he left the jet at Alkali Lake_."

The jet slowed to a stop, then lowered down through the basketball court, and into its garage. Storm switched off the power, then turned around and addressed the passengers.

"Listen up! I'm speaking to everyone here when I say we need to work together. That means no disputes between us and you, and we need everybody's full cooperation. That being said-"

"Hey lady," a brotherhood mutant interrupted, "You're not our boss!" Others in the back cheered in agreement.

"_I am_, and I say we need to work together." Magneto said.

"Why the change of heart? Not half an hour ago you were jonesing to go destroy the facility." Pyro said.

"Because Magneto understands the situation, John." Xavier said.

"Unlike some of you." Bobby said. For a second, he saw a look of hurt come over his former friend's face. The jet was quiet for a couple seconds before Storm continued.

"That being said, I'm sure you can follow a couple ground rules. First of all, the students' dorms are off limits. We don't need any unnecessary disputes that could injure the children. Secondly, none of you, Magneto's people, go anywhere without an escort. Even, you, Magneto." Storm said.

"Understandable." Mystique said in Magneto's voice. Some of the mutants chuckled in back.

"And lastly, if any of you have concerns regarding the Monitors, you come to one of us, not Magneto." Storm said. Magneto opened his mouth to say something, but shut it.

"Any questions?" Storm asked, looking amongst the passengers.

"Yeah, I got one. What exactly _is_ a Monitor?" a deep-voiced mutant asked.

The X-Men and Brotherhood went into the lobby of the school, where the younger students were previously cleared out of. Rogue, Angel, Kitty, Craig, and Dr. McCoy were already waiting. As everyone sat down and got comfortable, Rogue and Bobby shared some looks regarding Pyro.

"We'll talk later." Bobby whispered and Rogue shook her head angrily.

"No, Bobby! We'll talk now!" she said, crossing her arms. Bobby grabbed her by the arm and led her down the hall.

"All this time…John was alive? Bobby, why didn't you tell me?" Rogue asked. The two were far away from the others.

"You weren't there, Rogue! I didn't know if I had killed him or not! You don't know what it was like, what he was doing, what he was saying!" Bobby retorted, a little harshly. He was feeling both pissed off, and apologetic for his girlfriend at once.

"You didn't have to keep me in the dark about it!" Rogue replied.

"What did you want me to tell you, Rogue, huh? That I killed him?" Bobby asked, not realizing he was raising his voice.

"I wanted you to tell me something! John is our friend!" she said.

"That was a long time ago. He means nothing to us now, Rogue. You've heard what everyone said the first couple weeks after he left: he's a traitor. He left us alone on that jet-"

"To help the others!"

"…I've come to terms with the situation, babe. He left us to be with Magneto." Bobby said. When he saw how close she was to tears, he felt like his mind had shattered against a brick wall.

"He was our friend, he always will be. How could you just disown him like that?" she asked. Bobby couldn't answer, sadly watching her walk away.

(Kitty)

She could read the couple like an open book when they entered the lobby ten minutes after the meeting bean. _Rogue was angry with Bobby for reasons unknown, and Bobby was frustrated with Rogue_. Plain and simple. She shook her head and turned her attention to Dr. McCoy, or Hank as he insisted on being called.

"-where we will split up into groups and take on our appointed tasks. Group members will be decided later. Now, there is still so much we don't know about the Monitors' capabilities, so nobody plays hero. We don't need any more casualties than we might presently suffer."

There was a short pause before Professor Xavier announced where the infiltration would take place: Alkali Lake. Kitty' heart broke as she saw Professor Summers wince at the name.

"Excuse me, Professor, but you're saying we're to go to one of the few places in North America that's caused us great heartache after suffering a terrible loss of both a teacher and a friend?" Kitty asked, noticing Professor Summers glance at her.

"That's exactly what he's talking about, Kitty cat." John said in a slight smartass-y tone.


	16. Chapter 16: The Fight

**A/N**: Thanks you to those (if any) that are enjoying (and still reading) my first ever FanFic.

Chapter 16: The Fight

(Scott)

He could tolerate the fact that they were heading to the site of his lover's death. He could tolerate the sight of the snowy landscape, encasing a lake of larger size. He could even tolerate seeing the broken dam, which so closely symbolized his broken heart. What he couldn't tolerate was the fact that when he and the other prisoners fled the lab, he didn't even realize where he was. He never knew that he was on the soil where his best friend, his coworker, the love of his life, sacrificed herself to save him and his friends, consequently dying in a watery grave.

Storm landed the jet, shaking the thoughts of his dead girlfriend's final moments from his mind. For the moment.

The two pilots turned to address the above-max-capacity passenger section.

"Can I have everyone's attention? We arrived here in stealth mode, so no one should know we are here as of yet. We've discussed our teams, entry points, rendezvous points, and strategies. Now, before we go, I would like to say something. I wish us all the best of luck, and I know that we will all get through this fight." Storm said. A few cheers echoed through the metal jet.

"Okay, everyone, team up. Let's do this." Scott said.

(Bobby/Rogue)

The jet emptied as teams of five grouped up and filed out to secure the entry points. The couple was lucky enough to be in the same team, but the other three members were Brotherhood.

"Alright, guys. Let's go to the Hangar number 5, to the east." Bobby said, feeling the eyes of the Brotherhood members digging into the back of his skull as he and Rogue led the way. He distantly wondered whether the reason the 3 mutant convicts were staring at him was due to his high cold weather tolerance, or because he, a so-called "enemy", was in charge of the group. They trudged on through the ankle-deep snow, uncomfortably silent except for the snow crunching underfoot. Bobby glanced at his little radio. One was given to every team commander. The radio beeped and Wolverine's voice emerged from the static.

"Group one in position. We're at the cellar basement entrance."

This sparked a flurry of responses, each team leader relaying their position.

"Group two is in position."

"Three is within range of Hangar One."

"This is Mystique. Group four is waiting at Hangar two."

"Group five is ready."

"Six is en route to Hangar four."

"This is Bobby. Hangar five is in sight."

"Eight is at roof entrance."

"Okay everyone set your timers. Two minutes, and we're going in." Wolverine's gruff voice ended the transmission.

Bobby clipped the walkie-talkie to his waist. "Let's move, people." he announced. The group quickened their pace, arriving at the hangar with 55 seconds to spare. As the seconds ticked away, Bobby found himself subconsciously squeezing Rogue's hand. She didn't protest or wince in pain, she reassuringly squeezed back. 30 seconds remained.

"I'll watch your back-"

"-And I'll watch yours." Rogue finished. They smiled at each other.

15 seconds…10…

There was a loud thud behind them and Rogue collapsed, a needle stuck into the side of her neck. Before Bobby could do anything, he too collapsed, dimly aware of the timer beeping.

(Toad)

"Eight is at roof entrance." Storm spoke into her walkie-talkie.

"Okay everyone set your timers. Two minutes, and we're going in."

Of all the people that could be in his group, the _leader_ had to be _her_. He couldn't talk for two weeks due to his tongue swelling up like a balloon after he was electrocuted on Liberty Island. And on top of it all, the blue mutant teleporting them to the roof made him so intensely lightheaded that he vomited slime all over the pebble-covered roof. The timer beeped, and Storm blasted a large hole in the door with a bolt of lightning. She and the blue guy went in first, followed by Toad and the two other members of the group. The stairwell was eerily quiet; so quiet, in fact, that Toad was sure he could hear the pounding hearts of his comrades.

The door ahead of them opened and a man of average build stepped through, mouth open in a tendon-straining, extremely loud yawn. He sleepily opened his eyes, and Toad could see two rows of beds in the room. As the man noticed the individuals in front of him, his eyes widened.

"INTRU-!"

He was silenced by a hardening, face-covering glob of Mucus a la Toad.

"Nice job." Storm said, sounding genuinely impressed.

"What should we do with him?" one of the mutants asked.

"Kill him." Toad said.

"No. We're not murderers. We'll tie him up and lock him in a closet." Storm said.

"Rumble, wanna take him in there?" a mutant asked. Rumble shuffled forward, hoisting the struggling man up by the collar of his shirt, and dragged him into the room. A closet door was opened, and while Rumble was looking for some rope, a gunshot pierced the air. Rumble fell to the ground, brain matter staining the wall.

The shooter stepped out from his hiding place and was abruptly skinned alive by an invisible force.

"Just because you teachers aren't murderers doesn't mean I'm not." The Brotherhood mutant said, telekinetically peeling the remains of the shooter's flesh off his bones.

"Let's go." he said, once he finished. He lead them out a separate door, which automatically closed behind them. As it did, an alarm blared from invisible speakers.


	17. Chapter 17: Finis

A/N: This is my final chapter! I appreciate the reviews, and any faithful readers putting up with my story. And for my chapter title, Finis is Latin for "the end".

Chapter 17: Finis

(Hugh)

He knew the mutants would make an attempt to stop him. He also knew he had enough Monitors to overpower the mutant attack. He even knew where each of the eight intruding groups were, thanks to his numerous outside security cameras. As an added bonus, two of the groups were already captured by his Monitors. Hugh approached the holding cell area, where the ten mutants were imprisoned inside specialized mutant concealing cages. The materials in the steel had a counteracting effect on every mutant ability known to man. He opened the door, surveying the looks on the mutants' faces. Fear, hatred, depression, disgust. Hugh couldn't care less how uncomfortable they were; he just wanted them to be afraid. He again mentally thanked his mentor for the countless files of mutants on his computer. He recognized Craig, of course, whom did not have an alias. He also recognized Pyro, Shadowcat, Colossus, Iceman, and Rogue. The remaining four were not in his records.

The 23 eyes all moved to him as he stood before the cages.

"Well, well, well." Hugh started, pacing in front of the captives.

_His_ captives.

"Your brilliant plan was to infiltrate my very own base, full of Monitors and other security, in small groups? You would've made a much more memorable stand if you had attacked in force. You actually might have had a snowball's chance in Hell. Instead, you split up into groups that can be overpowered by a mere handful of my creations. Very smart." Hugh said, chuckling lightly. He exhaled loudly and pressed a button on the wall, near the door.

"41205, report to holding cells." he said. A couple seconds passed, and the mutant-sentinel hybrid arrived.

"I believe some of you may have known this mutant. James Madrox, the Multiple Man." he said, feeling satisfaction come as some of the mutants became shocked and pale.

"Mult, can ya hear me? It's Sparky." one of them said, his voice shaky. 41205 remained motionless.

"You're trying to reach out to the mutant you once knew. Pathetically futile." Hugh said, circling the cage of the mutant called 'Sparky'.

"Screw you!" the mutant spat, gripping the bars of his cage.

"The Monitors are completely devoid of their mutant half's memories. They only know one thing, and that is to destroy you abominations." Hugh said.

Sparky released his grip on the bars, and turned to face Hugh.

"Do you really think you-" Sparky's sentence got cut off as the door suddenly blew off its hinges.

41205 split into numerous copies, looking almost like a blur.

"Logan!" Rogue called. Hugh instantly recognized the Wolverine, the mutant who attacked him, nearly succeeded in killing him, during the raid of Xavier's school. The Monitor copies simultaneously started their onslaught. Hugh headed up to the observation booth, where he could easily observe the fight. Wolverine had freed Iceman and Rogue first, while 41205's copies were preoccupied with the four mutants that arrived. Soon, all the other mutants were released from their cages, free to use their powers.

A seismic blast put a gaping, jagged hole where the door frame used to be. One of the mutants started glowing and the room surrounding the fight ceased to exist.

'_That mutant shit head just teleported us to a forest_.' Hugh thought, scowling.

"This changes nothing!" he yelled, his booming voice barely audible over the clamor.

One of 41205's copies brought forth a struggling Craig.

"Ah, Craig. My, my, my, how changed you are. Is it just my imagination, or have you developed a small hero complex?" Hugh asked. Craig remained silent, as usual.

"Not that it matters." Hugh decided, taking out a vile from his pocket.

"No…" Craig breathed, eyes growing.

"I'm sure you haven't forgotten about this little potion. Be a good boy and hold still…" Hugh said calmly as he forced Craig's head back, slowly pouring a small amount of the brainwashing serum into the mutant's eyes. Craig began blinking rapidly, then looked up at Hugh. The Monitor released Craig and returned to the fight.

"I want you to do something for me. The girl, Rogue, I want you to kill her." Hugh said.

"Kill her." Craig repeated.

"She can absorb 41205's ability and create a dozen copies of herself. That's something we don't want." Hugh said.

"She will be taken care of." Craig said, and started to transform.

(Pyro)

When Hugh summoned the Monitor 41205, something in Pyro's brain clicked. He recognized that number. The day he met Multiple Man and Juggernaut, the former was contained in cell number 41205. Then Hugh verbally confirmed, and Pyro felt only one thing: anger. Sparky, however, voiced his anger; something Pyro wanted to do, but didn't. While Hugh and Sparky had their little pissing match, Pyro did the only thing he could think of to keep from going crazy: he flicked the lid of his lighter open and closed.

_Click click_…_click click_…

Sparky looked like he was ready to boil when the door suddenly blasted off its hinges. Wolverine's group entered the room and the Monitor attacked, mimicking Multiple Man's ability. Once Pyro was freed, he partook in the fight, pushing his nagging feeling of betrayal towards Multiple Man to the back of his mind. The fight didn't skip a beat when the room was replaced by a sunny, tree speckled forest. Everyone continued fighting; only Pyro himself noticed Craig being dragged away towards the evil, maniacal mastermind. Pyro took cover from incoming cure darts behind a tree. That's when he noticed Craig's strange behavior. He seemed eerily calm; talking to the enemy like it was no big deal. Pyro killed a Monitor copy aiming at Wolverine and looked back to Craig, mouth opening slightly in confusion.

'_The son of a bitch isn't attacking. He's a goddamn cheetah, and he's walking away from the enemy.'_

Pyro approached the man who turned everything to Hell. He formed a fireball the size of a basketball from the small flame produced by his lighter.

"Hey asshole!" he yelled. The evil mastermind turned, and was promptly set aflame. The screams were like music. Pyro grinned ear-to-ear watching him burn. The joy was short-lived as his concentration was broken upon hearing an animalistic roar. The flames vanished, but that didn't matter. He was dead; Pyro was sure of it. He turned to the battle and saw Craig ready to pounce on an unsuspecting Rogue.

'_Oh no. No!_' he mentally screamed.

"Craig!" he yelled. The cheetah turned, eyes off the girlfriend of his best friend…the girl he had feelings for, but buried them in the depths of his mind and heart. He took a couple steps forward and the cheetah moved a little towards him.

'_Great. Good work, genius. Now he'll be after you._' he told himself.

"You don't want her! This isn't you, man!" he yelled. The battle seemed to stop, a side effect of the mad scientist's death. Pyro saw Sparky zap a Monitor, causing the rest to convulse and collapse.

"John, watch out!" Rogue screamed. Pyro threw a fireball with almost inhuman reflexes, hitting Craig square in the chest. The cheetah crashed to the ground a few feet in front of Pyro, whimpering and screaming in his animalistic way.

"Pyro, let him go!" Wolverine yelled.

"Like Hell I will!" he retorted, increasing the intensity of the fire, trying to kill Craig faster so he wouldn't feel as much pain.

"Stop it!" Bobby yelled, rushing forward. But it was too late. Pyro knew Craig was nothing more than dust now. Bobby shook Pyro, grabbing his shoulders.

"Get off me! Craig's dead, alright? He's dead!" Pyro yelled in his friend's face. He pried Bobby's hands away and returned to the spot where he killed the man behind it all.

"No…" he whispered, looking away.

The body was gone, nowhere to be seen.

A/N: Loved it? Hated it? I'm thinking of doing a sequel, so let me know what you think.


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